The Kartishov sisters: Two people, one life, one victory

Marina Mosyakova

A great deal has changed for the Kartishov sisters since Katya fell ill: they've left school and university behind, and gone through much work, many unexpected discoveries, and many different roles—both girls are models working in advertising. They are a single whole, as close as two people can get. And today, they are the stars of the Family Blood project.

“I can’t handle the sight of blood,” Katya says almost like a throwaway comment.

But it’s instantly obvious that her illness is to blame—aplastic anaemia, a dangerous blood disease that can, if left untreated, quickly end a person’s life. Katya’s salvation came in the form of a bone marrow transplant, with her sister Liza as the donor.

To part and meet again

How did you find out that you’d fallen ill?

Katya Kartishov: It was a total accident. We’d come to St Petersburg for New Year, to celebrate the start of 2005. And all of a sudden, I noticed these weird bruises and haematomas on my skin. I came home and went for a blood test, and before I knew it I was in hospital, first in Morozovskaya, then in the Russian Children’s Clinical Hospital.

Did it hurt?

Katya: It hurt a lot. And I was scared. It probably didn’t help that I was still just a kid, not long past my tenth birthday. I’m glad my mum was with me in the hospital. We were all in shock. We didn’t know anything about the illness, or about the charity which helps children fight and overcome illnesses like it.

Did the doctors, or your parents, explain to you what was happening?

Katya: To be honest, we don’t remember a word of it. I think they must have told us I was very ill, but we were children and didn’t understand at all.

Liza: When Katya got taken to hospital, I only had one thing on my mind—why have they taken my sister away? We’d been together all our lives, every minute of every day. I spent the entire following year on my own. My parents naturally spent all their attention and energy on Katya. I understood that just then, she needed it more. Every time I came to visit, I would hug and kiss her—I badly missed her love and support! I really do think that a bond between twins is much stronger than between ordinary siblings.

98% compatible sisters

Did they consider Liza as a bone marrow donor straight away?

Katya: At first, they were looking for a donor among my relatives, both close and distant. But then the doctors decided to test Liza. We were 98% compatible because we’re fraternal twins.

Liza: I think our parents didn’t think about me at that time because I was only ten. I didn’t weigh much either—they probably thought I wouldn’t be able to handle it all. But it was a complete success.

How long did it take you to recover?

Liza: I was up the next day. I came to Katya’s room right after she’d been given my cells.

Katya: Honestly, I can barely remember the transplant process. I slept through the whole thing. It made the whole thing dreamlike, without pain or any other sensations.

Liza, how did you support your sister?

Liza: I tried to do everything I could for her. I’d give her all kinds of posters to put up to make the room look pretty. And when they told her that her hair had to be shaved to a short bob, I promptly had my hair cut too.

It must have been rough to be stuck indoors!

Katya: It was. I spent all my time staring out of the window. I spent a month in my room while I recovered, which was quick enough to even surprise the doctors. And I did get to go home soon, though I was stuck wearing a mask. I can still remember the laundry list of things I wasn’t allowed. I would daydream about just a tiny piece of milk chocolate…

The bliss of taking off the mask

Tell us about how Katya came home.

Liza: Mum and I had the spring clean of the century! We threw out old furniture, bought more, and took down all the excess stuff from the walls so Katya’s room wasn’t cluttered. Katya came back wearing a dust mask. She was allowed to go for a walk once a week, but she was feeling embarrassed, so we called over our friend from next door and went out as a masked trio.

And how did people react?

Katya: They stared at us, of course. But not in a bad way. I remember what bliss it was when they let me take the mask off!

A second mother named Liza

What effect has the illness had on you?

Liza: I’ve developed a greater sense of responsibility. I’m always carrying pills for every occasion. And I always make sure Katya’s warmly dressed.

Katya: She’s like a second mother.

How do you feel about being treated that way?

Katya: You can’t imagine how glad I am to have her! She’s a sister, a friend, a helper who’s done so much for me, and to top it all off, she’s the one who gave me my life!

The present and the future

What changed in your life after the illness?

Katya: I think that was the point at which we grew up a lot. We learned to live separately, which is a huge deal for twins.

Liza: We know that we’ve been given a second chance, and we have to live up to that. For example, I give blood regularly. I’m Rh-negative, and I get a lot of calls asking for me to come in. I never say no.

How did you end up in advertising?

Liza: By accident. We knew we’d have to pay our way through university. I went to an agency and auditioned for them… and then suddenly we got called back with a role. Later we graduated from the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts, department of acting, and began to star in adverts full-time. Recently we’ve opened our own agency, Twins Models. We find twin models and organise filming for them.

Katya: Right now, our main goal is to put some space between us. We have recently started different courses at the university on purpose, so each of us can have her own life.

Gift of Life thanks all donors and supporters! Together we give children and young people like Katya a better chance to beat cancer.

This is a short version of the interview. You can find the full text in Russian here.

We'd love to keep you posted with our news, activities and how you can help in other ways. We'll never sell or swap your details with anybody else. You are free to change your mind at anytime. Please indicate how you would like to hear from us by using the tick boxes below

Your Privacy

We will always store your personal details securely. We'll use them to provide the service that you have requested, and communicate with you in the way(s) that you have agreed to. Your data may also be used for analysis purposes, to help us provide the best service possible. For full details see our Privacy Policy

Latest

The acute lymphoblastic leukaemia just wouldn’t go away. Elvira (Elya to her friends) went through treatment three times, had two relapses, and finally received a bone marrow transplant. Elya’s donor was her father Raul. This interview with a deeply beloved father and his hundred-percent-compatible daughter turned into a talk with the two people closest to each other. Please welcome the latest heroes of the Blood Family project, Elya and Raul Abdulov.

On the 26th of November, let’s get together over a cup of tea to celebrate Podari Zhizn’s birthday and donate to help pay for cancer treatments for children in Gift of Life’s care. Choose your own treats - from cupcakes, bagels and profiteroles to pasties and pirozhkis. And it doesn’t even have to be tea – coffee or any drink of your choice will work just as well. Enjoy your tea and make it count!

Related

The acute lymphoblastic leukaemia just wouldn’t go away. Elvira (Elya to her friends) went through treatment three times, had two relapses, and finally received a bone marrow transplant. Elya’s donor was her father Raul. This interview with a deeply beloved father and his hundred-percent-compatible daughter turned into a talk with the two people closest to each other. Please welcome the latest heroes of the Blood Family project, Elya and Raul Abdulov.

My name is Julia. I work as a coordinator for the Podari Zhizn charity at the Dmitry Rogachev National Medical Research Centre for Paediatric Oncology, Haematology and Immunology. To me, this isn’t just a job, but a way of life. Today, I want to share with you one August day from the life of our hospital.

Let us introduce you to young and beautiful Zlata. She was unlucky to get cancer when she was 15 y.o., but she Is one in a million lucky girl to have her mother as a donor with 100% match. The Blood Family project (Родная кровь) is all about amazing stories of cancer survivors, and here is Zlata’s story.

This summer, Gift of Life carried out a fundraising campaign for Sergei Gerasimov, a 16-year-old athlete from Samara. With the aid of donors and fundraisers, we were able to gather over £16,500 and pay for a vital operation, a bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor. The operation was a success and now Sergei is recuperating at the Dmitry Rogachev Centre.

This summer has been rich with sporting accomplishments for Gift of Life. The fundraising campaign for bone marrow transplant surgery for young athlete Sergei Gerasimov raised over £16,000 out of the total £20,000 needed.

The sisters Kristina and Anna Tarasova (though they now go by their married names) live in Kursk, and have a remarkable story to tell us about how Kristina was saved from aplastic anaemia. There’s only one way to cure this disease: to carry out a transplant which will replace the dysfunctional bone marrow with healthy donated marrow. To the great delight of their parents, their doctors and of course the sisters themselves, Anna was able to become her sister’s donor.

At 9 years old, Nastya knows that some illnesses can kill. She’s already spent half a year being treated for nephroblastoma. We came to see Nastya in hospital and found out that on top of the treatment she’s been finding time for art and studying.

Anya Sorokina was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia, one of the worst bone marrow diseases, when she was the only child in her family. Now she is a healthy young lady and a happy sister to four siblings.
Once, Anya's parents Olga and Alexei only dreamt of having a single child, but Anya's disease changed everything.

Alexey Makarov is raising funds to help 16-year-old footballer Sergei Gerasimov from Samara, one of the World Cup cities. This promising young sportsman, Sergei has suddenly found himself faced with the worst matchup of all—a deadly illness.

Most read

WEDNESDAY 24th October 2018, 7PM
London premiere - a charity performance of THE LITTLE PRINCE with CHULPAN KHAMATOVA. Tickets are limited. Book yours today.
All proceeds will benefit children in the care of Gift of Life.

This is WOW so cool! In less than a month Gift of Life Patron Pavel Morozov is swimming the English Channel to raise funds for the kids with cancer in Russia. You are very welcome to support this challenge.

The story of Nastya Zerova, a girl from the little town of Gubakh in Perm Krai, can be called nothing but amazing. All manner of remarkable things happened to Nastya and her mother Vera thanks to the acute myeloblastic leukaemia Nastya was diagnosed with in 2008.

Mad Tea Party, or Bezumnoe Chaepitie, is an annual charity initiative held on the 26th of November to mark the birthday of Podari Zhizn, our sister charity foundation. The idea behind Mad Tea Party is to raise a cup of tea, or coffee, to Podari Zhizn’s achievements and support children with cancer.